Brad Pitt has been left ‘devastated’ by the fact that his kids are dropping his surname, and believes that ex-wife Angelina Jolie is a driving factor behind their controversial decision, according to reports.

Earlier this month we reported that the couple’s 18-year-old daughter Shiloh filed to have ‘Pitt’ removed from her surname – thereby making her Shiloh Jolie – and on the very day she became a legal adult no less.

Shiloh is one of Jolie and Pitt’s six-strong brood, but it appears that she’s not the only one who has strained relations with her father. Vivienne Jolie-Pitt, 15, made headlines recently when her name was listed in the official Playbill for The Outsiders, a show she’d helped her mother produce, and went down in the records as Vivienne Jolie, as opposed to Vivienne Jolie-Pitt.

On top of that, 19-year-old Zahara – one of Angelina and Brad’s three adopted children – reportedly also goes by Zahara Jolie these days, while TMZ have reported that the oldest of the siblings, Maddox, 22, doesn’t use ‘Pitt’ in his surname either.

Son Pax, readers may remember, lambasted Pitt in an explosive Instagram post from 2020 that resurfaced recently, claiming: “You have made the lives of those closest to me a constant hell.”

As per Little Things, the breakdown in relations between Brad and his children has greatly affected the superstar actor, with a source stating: “Brad was devastated by this choice.

“To him, it was more than a change of name — it was a symbol of a deeper estrangement that has been brewing for years.”

Meanwhile, another source close to the family detailed how Shiloh had hired her own lawyer to handle her name change, stressing that the decision was hers and hers alone.

Yet, according to the source cited by Little Things, Brad harbors strong suspicions that the main reason for the estrangement from his kids has to do with Angelina.

“He feels that the negative narrative Angelina presents to the kids is a major obstacle in his efforts to reconnect,” the source claimed.

“With Angelina having daily influence over the children, Brad finds it nearly impossible to change their perceptions.”

Since their 2019 divorce, the superstars, once collectively dubbed ‘Brangelina’ by the press, have been involved in legal battles and media-fueled spats, and a string of allegations have been made in recent times.

As recently as April of this year were papers submitted by Jolie to the Los Angeles Superior Court accusing Pitt of physical abuse – something he has vehemently denied – while the former couple are still at odds over the sale of a French winery they purchased while together.